Today we arrived in Toledo. Our practice run yesterday definitely made today easier. We still made a few wrong turns at the train station but we had plenty of time to have breakfast at the terminal.
I forgot to mention a few things as just quick notes. Banos is a much needed word! Bathroom / toilets! I am please to confirm that so far all the bathrooms in restaurants and even the train station have been clean and all regular toilets. No holes in the floor!! Hopefully that is consistent through out the country and our travels! Also I definitely brought the correct coat. Many people have the same type as me!
We have discovered that this really is a great time to visit. March is considered high tourist time as summer can get as hot as 48C =impossibly 🥵 hot! Everyone heads to the coastal towns to survive! And return in late August or September.
Once we arrived in Toledo we took a taxi. 5 euros and a 500 ft incline, we arrived at our hotel. Another great location! Easy access to the plaza for our first tour.
This is a UNESCO world heritage city stuck in the 16th century when the capital of Spain moved from Toledo to Madrid. The three factions of Arabs,’ Jews and Christians all have a stake in the history’s here. Buildings often have the structure of a mosque, used as a church and decoration inside of the Jews. For several hundred years they coexisted very peacefully. However at the end of it, the Jewish quarter was completely flattened and the Jews were forced to either convert to Catholicism or be killed. So some families chose to convert. One such family had a coat of arms created and is still hangs in the building they built as a church. It has the structure of a mosque used as a church. But now used as a discotheque. University also uses it to display art.
The next tour we took was supposed o underground. After an hour and no underground, we just continued down the path to the cathedral when the leader turned the corner. And what a cathedral it turned out to be. I think we just say the most remarkable cathedral ever!
Every inch of this cathedral is carved! Absolutely incredible! Pictured can’t do it justice. The building has columns rising up 300 feet! It is massive!
We finished off the night with dinner at a very nice restaurant. Croquettes are a specialty here in Spain and here I thought it was a Dutch treat! Tonight Rod had a deer and manchego cheese and an oxtail croquette. I had a burger. I know really lame but their options were really limited because the main menu was not available until 8 pm and it was only 6. I have belly issues when I eat too much rich food and I have to take lactaid for any dairy. So choices are limited. Rod also had apple pie that has a layer of chopped almonds under the layer of apples. The southern part of Spain and particularly Toledo is know for marzipan-almonds.
This is the origin of Toledo steel. 90% of all the swords used in lord of the rings, the hobbit and game of thrones all were made from Toledo steel!
So that’s it for today. We will take the train back to Madrid and catch a high speed one to Cordoba tomorrow. Not sure if we will stay there or continue on to Seville.
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